The Hamburglar was McDonald’s 1970s advertising character who tried to steal hamburgers and wore a black-and-white striped outfit.
The character was part of McDonaldland, McDonald’s fictional advertising world populated by restaurant-themed figures. In his earliest appearances, the Hamburglar had a more sinister, small-statured design and often spoke in a distinctive, difficult-to-understand style.
McDonald’s later redesigned him with a younger, friendlier appearance. His central role remained the same: he was a playful hamburger thief whose antics gave advertisements a simple conflict and made the food item itself part of the story.
The Hamburglar is often confused with Captain Crook, another food-themed advertising character associated with McDonald’s. Captain Crook was linked to Filet-O-Fish, while the Hamburglar’s defining target was hamburgers.